Seal



March 29, 1955 L F@ DAssE SEAL Fild April 8, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l INV NTOR.

L. F. DASSE March 29, 1955 Filed April 8, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mmmm m m4, ,s wl n; 2

FIGS.

FIG;

L. F. DASSE March 29, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 w Filed April 8, 1952 FIG. 7.

INVENToR.

United States Patent O SEAL Lester F. Dasse, St. Joseph, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Lambert Brake Corporation, St. Joseph, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application April 8, 1952, Serial No. 281,201 9 Claims. (Cl. 288-3) The present invention relates to exclusion seals, and more particularly to an improved seal construction for sealing relatively rotatable members against the passage of dust, dirt, mud, and/or lubricants or other iluids, therebetween.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a seal which is relatively inexpensive, simple to manufacture as compared with conventional seals of the same class, and which is susceptible of rapid and easy assembly, installation and/or disassembly, with little or no possibility of human error or damage of the sealing ele'- ments during handling, assembly or installation of the seal, and which is also durable and long-lasting during use.

Another object is to provide a seal which is especially well-suited for sealing installations in which one of the relatively rotatable parts operates at high speed where the problems of effective and long-lasting sealing are most critical. This object is preferably attained by the provision of an improved seal having relatively rotatable coacting sealing parts, these sealing parts providing relatively light frictional contact and consequent slight interference therebetween, with attendent long life of the sealing parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a seal which produces a compound sealing action between the relatively rotatable parts thereof, this compound sealing action being accomplished by the provision of sealing contacts within the seal construction.

Conventionally, seals of the class of the present invention are so constructed as to be primarily applicable in installations where the radial relation between the rela-` tively rotatable members to be sealed is xed and does not vary. However, when this radial relation is varied bef yond very limited tolerances, the electiveness as well as the life of conventional seals is substantially impaired, either by failure to provide sul'lcient contact between the relatively rotatable members, or by providing such a great frictional contact as to result in undue and too rapid wear.

In addition, conventional seals are usually rapidly destroyed or beat out in installations where there is radial play between the relatively rotatable members being sealed, due to worn or loose bearings or the like, the case of imperfections in one or the other of the relatively rotatable members, or in the case of slight eccentricities of one of the relatively rotatable members, an eii'cient seal is not attainable by conventional seal constructions.

Accordingly, still another object of this invention is to provide a seal which automatically compensates for variations in the radial or lateral relation between the relatively rotatable parts, which automatically compensates for radial play betweensuch parts, and which automatically compensates for eccentricities of one or the other of the relatively rotatable parts.

The foregoing objectives are preferably attained by the provision of a U-shaped metal cage or housing having opposed resilient sealing lips therein, these sealing lips being frictionally engaged with an intermediate disc or middle ring member which is carried by a resilient member adapted to engage the opposite side walls of the cage in sealing relation thereto.

Other and further objects of the invention will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

ICC

2 In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a sectional view of seal made in e brake housing and a relatively stationary backing plate of a disc brake assembly;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of an assembled seal of the type shown in Fig. l, but on a slightly enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a detail view in section, showing one halfls ection of the seal cage of Fig. 2, with its resilient sealing Fig. 4 is a detail view in section, showing the central sealing disc member or middle ring carried by its resilient Support;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in section and on a substantially enlarged scale, showing the portions of the seal embraced-within the broken lines of Fig. l, and illustrating by means of arrows the compound sealing action of the seal construction;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in section and on an enlarged scale, showing one half-section of the U-shaped seal cage of Figs. l and 2, with its resilient sealing lip shown in full lines in its initial molded and unassembled position, and also showing the sealing lip in broken lines in the position it assumes upon assembly of the seal with the coacting middle ring or disc;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view generally corresponding to Fig. 5, but showing the seal reversed, so that the cage is carried by the relatively stationary member, and the middle ring or disc is carried by the relatively rotatable member;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view generally corresponding to Fig. 5, showing a modified form of seal construction in which the sealing lips are inverted soas to incline in a direction opposite to that in Fig. 5, and emwhich provides additional multiple sealing contacts as may be required for extreme service conditions.

Like reference characters denote corresponding parts in the severaligures of the drawings, wherein 1 generally denotes afwell-known disc brake construction bly, including a rotatable housing 2 carried by wheelmounting hub 3 of a wheeled vehicle or the like, the housing 2 having a laterally projecting annular flange 4 on assembly, plate 7 forming a closure for the inboard side of the brake housing 2. The adapter or backing plate 7 is preferably provided with an annular marginal ange 8 disposed in opposed spaced relation to the liange 4 of the brake housing 2, and in order to prevent or exclude water, mud, road dust, dirt and th'e like, from entering the brake, the seal 5 is adapted to be ip stallled between the flanges 4 and 8, as best shown in The disc brake construction 1 forms no part of the present invention, and is shown merely as illustrative of one operative application of the improved seal construction 5 which constitutes the essence of this invention. For a detailed description of the brake construction, reference may be had to Patent No. 2,563,759, dated August 7, 1951, and still more particularly to co-pending application Serial No. 238,283, tiled July 24, 1951, now Patent No. 2,595,860, issued May 6, 1952.

According to the form of the seal construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the seal 5 comprises a pair of annular metal cage or housing sections 9, each of which is shown as being L-shaped in cross-section, these cage sections, when assembled together in opposed abutting relation, forming an annular U-shaped cage or housing 10. The cage sections 9 preferably abut on a central plane at a right angle to the axis of the seal assembly.

Carried by each section 9 of the cage 10 is a rubber 4 or other resilient sealing member 11. These members 11 multiple nature, as represented by the arrows in Fig. 5, extend entirely around their respective cage sections, and since mud, water, dirt, dust or other foreign matter,- frictionally engage at their free edges with an annular would have to first penetrate the seal between the inside metal disc or ring 12 which is centrally located between face of the inboard side of the cage 10 and the contactthe complementary cage sections 9, and which is supported ing face 17 of the resilient ring 13, and any foreign matter by an annular rubber or other resilient ring 13. The that succeeds in passing this point must then pass between resilient ring 13 is preferably of suiiicient width as to the inboard sealing lip 16 and the adjacent face of the frictionally engage the opposed rigid side walls of the central disc or middle ring 12, into the annular chamber cage 10, and may be of any suitable cross-section. Ex- 18 detined between the two sealing members 11. From tended about the outer periphery of the resilient ring 13 10 this chamber, the foreign matter would then have to pass is a groove 14 in which the inner peripheral edge of the by the outboard lip 16 and the outboard face of the disc or middle ring 12 is seated, as clearly shown in central disc or middle ring 12, and then would still have Figs. l, 2, 4 and 5. to pass through the fourth sealing contact between the rThe sealing members 11 are preferably molded in the outboard face 19 of the sealing ring 13 and its contacting respective cage sections 9, or otherwise may be suitably 15 inner face of the outboard side wall of the cage 10. bonded thereto, and the resilient ring 13 may or may not Wear of the sealing elements may be still further minibe bonded or molded on the disc or middle ring 12, as inized by pre-packing the seal unit 5 with a suitable lubridesired or required for a particular application of the seal. cant, which would be particularly advantageous where the ln molding or forming the sealing members 11, they seal is utilized in a dry environment, such as in the illusare each preferably provided with a relatively heavy base trated brake assembly. Also, in the case of brakes of or attaching portion 15 of substantial cross-section, from this type, dust originating from wear of the brake linings which is extended a relatively thin free lip portion 16 within the brake housing is eiectively occluded or exprojecting angularly therefrom towards the axis of the eluded from passing by the elements of the seal unit seal assembly, said lips 16 of both cage sections 9 being r into the zone of the central disc or middle ring of the engageable with the central disc or middle ring 12 on 20 latter, and which otherwise might cause undue wear of iinal assembly of the seal construction. the lips 16 of the sealing members 11 by the abrasive As best seen in Fig. 6, the portion 16 of each sealing action of the lining dust particles. member 11 is so molded or formed as to project beyond Instead of mounting the seal unit 5 in the manner the inner edge 9 of its respective cage section 9 prior o shown in Fig. l, wherein the sections 9 of the cage 10 to assembly with the complementary cage section, as "o are pressed tightly within the contines of the ange 4 on shown in full lines in this figure. When the seal is comthe rotatable brake drum 2, the elements of the seal unit pletely assembled and the lips 16 are engaged with the may be reversed as more particularly illustrated in the central disc or middle ring 12, the lips 16 assume the modied arrangement illustrated in Fig. 7. According to position shown in broken lines in Fig. 6, and by reason r the latter construction, the sections 9 of the cage 10 are of the inherent resiliency of the lips 16 when they are 30 tightly pressed onto the ange 8 of the stationary backing forced out of their initial relaxed condition on assembly plate or adapter 7, while the resilient ring 13 is snugly of the cage sections, the lips 16 will press against the pressed within the annular liange 4 of the brake housing central disc or middle ring 12 with a relatively light pres- 2, In this arrangement, the central disc or middle ring 12 sure, but with sufficient pressure to produce an effective occupies the `same relation to the sealing members 11 of sealing contact with the central disc or middle ring. This the cage sections 9, as in the form tirst described herein,

contact is preferably maintained with a minimum of fricand the sealing action is the same as that hereinbefore tion between the lips 16 and the central disc or middle described. Since the sealing members 11 in the arrangering 12, which assures long life of the lips and the sealing ment illustrated in Fig. 7 are relatively stationary, beunit as a Whole. cause of the fact that the cage 10 is mounted on a sta- On installation of the seat unit 5 in a brake assembly 4" tonary backing plate 7, there will be no effect of cenas shown in Fig. l, one of the cage or housing sections 9 trifugal force upon these members in this particular having its sealing member 11 carried thereby, is pressed arrangement, regardless of the speed of rotation of the tightly within the confines of the annular flange 4 on the brake housing, whereas in the arrangement disclosed in brake housing 2, after which, the central disc or middle Fig. l, the action of centrifugal force on the sealing ring is inserted within the confines of the iiange 4 until 50 members 11 tends to urge the lips 16 into firmer contact it rests against the lip portion 16 of the sealing member with the central disc or middle ring 12, with greater 1l. Thereafter, the other complementaly cage section 9 pressure, the higher the speed of rotation of the brake with its sealing member 11 is pressed within the annular housing. In order to oiset this increased pressure of ange 4 until its inner marginal edge 9 abuts against the the lips 16 on the central disc or middle ring 12 at those corresponding marginal edge 9 of the iirst-mentioned 55 relatively high speeds which would tend to produce excescage section, thereby putting the lips 16 of the resilient sive wear on the lips 16, the sealing members may be sealing members 11 under light stress or pressure against modified to correspond with the form shown in Fig. 8, the central disc or middle ring 12. With the aforemenwherein the resilient members 11 are provided with lip tioned parts of the seal unit 5 assembled in the brake portions 16 which are inclined in a direction opposite housing 4, and before the brake assembly is mounted 6() to the inclination illustrated in Fig. 5, that is to say, the on the wheel-mounting, the resilient ring 13 is applied inclination is outwardly and away from the axis of rotaonto the central disc or middle ring 12, with the inner tion of the brake, so that the centrifugal force induced marginal edge of this disc or ring seating in the periphby high speed rotation of the brake housing would tend eral groove 14. Thereupon, the entire brake assembly to urge the lips 16 of the seal unit 5 away from the may be applied onto the wheel-mounting hub 3, and the central disc or middle ring 12. To prevent any substanreslient ring 13 may be pressed onto the iiange 8 of the tial reduction in pressure between the lips 16 and the stationary backing plate or adapter 7 as the brake asserncentral disc or middle ring 12, in this arrangement, the bly is moved to its fully assembled position as illustrated seal unit is provided with annular spring members or in Fig. l. When so mounted, the resilient ring 13 and garter springs 20, there being one of these garter springs the central disc or middle ring 12 together constitute a 70 for each of the sealing members 11' of the seal unit. relatively stationary seal element, and the cage 10 with Each of the sealing members 11 is provided with an the sealing members 11 together constitute a relatively annular recess 21 in which its garter spring is seated. rotatable seal element. In such an installation, the Except for these changes in the elements noted above, resilient ring 13 will automatically compensate for any the seal unit of Fig. 8 is the same as that of Fig. 5.

irregularities in the surface of flange 8 on which it is 75 A still further modified form of seal unit is illustrated mounted by snugly tting the same therearound. In in Fig. 9, which generally corresponds to Fig. 5, except addition, any radial play or eccentricity between the that an additional middle cylindrical cage section 10' is anges 4 and 8 is automatically compensated for by the disposed between the two L-shaped cage sections 9, with seal unit 5, by reason of the fact that the resilient ring the latter sections 9 having abutting contact with the re- 13, along with the central disc or middle ring 12, is free spective opposite ends of the middle section 10'. rI`his to move into and out of the cage 10 in a radial direction, middle cage section 10' is provided with an intermediate within limits determined by the radial thickness of the sealing member 11", which, in this form, is provided with ring 13 and the radial thickness of the cage 10, as comtwo oppositely inclined sealing lips 16" which are respecpared with the distance between the flanges 4 and 8. tively disposed in opposed relation to the sealing lips 16 The sealing action of this seal construction is of a of the respective cage sections 9. In this arrangement,

two central discs or middle rings 12 are provided for of each of said sealing members is disposed at an angle sealing contact with the two pairs of lips 16, 16", and m inclined outwardly to the axis of said disc.

mounting the two discs or rings 12, either two separate 3. A seal as defined in claim 1, wherein said lip portion resilient rings 13, each corresponding to the element 13 of each of said sealing members is disposed at an angle in Fig. 5, may be used, or this mounting ring may be made inclined inwardly to the axis of said disc.

in the form of a single ring of greater width and provided 4. A seal of the class described, comprising a plurality with two peripheral grooves to receive the respective of complementary cage sections, each of said sections central discs or middle rings 12. having a resilient sealing member carried thereby, said This modified multiple form of seal construction shown sections together forming a U-shaped annular cage, said 'n Fig. 9 affords substantially twice the effective sealing 10 sealing members each having a base of substantial crossaction as the single type of unit disclosed in Fig. 5, and section secured to said cage at the bottom thereof and it will be understood that by still further increasing the engaged with the adjacent bottom and side walls of the number of central cage sections with the double-tip cage and also having a resilient sealing lip projecting from sealing member 11', with corresponding increase in the said base, a rigid disc extending into said cage between number of central discs or middle rings 12, the sealing 15 said sealing members, said rigid disc and said cage being action can be multiplied to any extent desired or that may rotatable relative to each other, and a resilient ring on be required for extreme service conditions. which said disc is mounted, said `ring being disposed in It will be further understood that the modified arrangethe open side of said cage and sealingly engaging the nient of the seal unit in Fig. 9 may be reversed like that opposed inner faces thereof. of the single unit to correspond generally with the arrange- 5. A seal of the class described, comprising a multipart ment disclosed in Fig. 7, and by the same token, the ca'ge ormed of complementary cage members abutting inclination of the lips of the sealing members in Fig. 9 on a central plane, resilient sealing means having a base may be inverted to correspond with the arrangement of of substantial cross-section molded in each of said cage the lips as shown in Fig. 8, in which event, each of the members, said sealing means having a resilient lip portion lips would preferably be provided with a garter spring to initially projecting beyond the plane on which said cage retain the lips against displacement from contact with the members abut, a ring projecting into said cage, and an sealing rings as the result of the action of centrifugal force annular disc carried by said ring and confined within said at high speeds. cage, said disc being disposed between the sealing means It will be obvious from the foregoing that the seal of in said cage members and flexing the same into a position this invention is not limited to use with brakes either of resiliently stressed into sealing contact with said disc, and the type as specifically illustrated and described herein, said ring sealingly engaging the cage to close the same. or otherwise, but is readily applicable to many and diverse 6. A seal of the class described, for use with a rotatable applications, including clutches, shafts, axles, and other member and a relatively stationary member, comprising rotary parts which are journaled in a relatively stationary a U-shaped cage adapted to be carried by one of the memmember. In this connection, it will be readily underbers, ring means of resilient material adapted to be carried stood from reference to Figs. l and 7, that the part desigby the other of said members, said ring means extending nated 7 may have the form of a shaft or other rotary part, into the open side of said cage and being sealingly engaged instead of being stationary, and the part designated 2 may with the opposed inner side faces thereof, relatively r0tatcorrespond to a relatively stationary housing or other able cooperatively engaged sealing means carried by said element in which the part 7 is journaled or otherwise free 40 cage and said ring means, respectively, said last-mentioned to rotate relative thereto. sealing means comprising an annular rigid disc Acarried by When seals of the type corresponding to the present said ring means and projecting into said cage, and a pair invention are utilized to seal against the admission or loss of resilient sealing members secured in said cage at oppoof fluid into or from a container or other housing or site sides of the disc, said sealing members each having chamber, such as a clutch housing, crank-case, pump a base of substantial crosssection fixed to said cage and housing or the like, Where some fluid pressure may be a relatively thin lip portion projecting from said base into exerted tending to force the fluid through the seal, the engagement with the respective opposite sides of said sealing contact between the resilient lips and the interior disc, and means embracing the respective resilient sealing sealing rings or discs becomes greater as the fluid pressure members for restraining the same against displacement on the lips increases in the arrangements as more paraway from said disc.

ticularly illustrated in Figs. 1, 5, 7 and 9, due to the 7. A seal as defined in claim 6, wherein said sealing angular relation of the sealing lips with respect to the member is provided with an annular recess therein in sealing rings. which the restraining means is seated.

While the specific details have been herein shown and 8. A seal as defined in claim 1, wherein said cage indescribed, the invention is not confined thereto as changes cludes two complementary annular cage sections of and alterations may be made without departing from the L-shape cross-section disposed in axially spaced relation spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims. to each other, and an intermediate cylindrical cage section I claim; having abutting contact with the complementary L-shaped 1. A seal of the class described for use with a rotatable sections aforesaid, the sealing means includes a plurality member and a relatively stationary member, comprising of pairs of opposed resilient sealing members as aforea U-shaped cage adapted to be carried by one of the said, and a plurality of discs as aforesaid respectively intermembers, ring means of resilient material adapted to be posed between each pair of opposed sealing members in carried by the other of said members, said ring means sealing engagement therewith.

extending into the open side of said cage and being seal- 9. A seal as defined in claim 8, wherein said ring means ingly engaged with the opposed inner side faces thereof, includes a pair of similar ring members disposed in siderelatively rotatable cooperatively engaged sealing means by-side relation to one another.

carried by said cage and said ring means, respectively,

said last-mentioned sealing means comprising an annular References Cited in the file of this patent rigid disc carried by said .ring means and projecting into said cage, and a pair of resilient sealing members secured u ITED STATES PATENTS iri said cage at opposite sides of the disc, said sealing 2,192,305 Gilman Mar. 5, 1940 members eazh havingda basle of 1subftantlial cross-section 2,367,403 Kosatka Jan. 16, 1945 fixed to sai cage an a re ative y in ip portion projecting from said base into engagement with the respective ,75 FOREGII PATENTS opposite sides of said disc. 544,881 Great Britain Apr. 30, 1942 2. A seal as defined in claim 1, wherein said lip portion '936,483 France of 194,8 

